The Ape and the Moon
by Mirai Warrior
Summary: Yes we all know the story of the Monkey and the Moon resulting in failure, but have you heard the one about the Great Ape and the Moon? Well here's your chance. Mature themes and feels sooner or later, rated M for lemons in later chapters.
1. Newest Transfer Student

***Flashback***

"Mommy?" The small raven haired boy whined as he looked up at his mother.

"Yes Goten?" Chi-Chi asked picking up her youngest and clamping him at her waist.

"Why do we have to move?" He clasped her blouse causing a small tear in the fabric, "All my friends are here and we'll be even further away from Trunks!" His friends were the animals of the forest, he was like his father talking to them and assisting in any way he could.

"Goten we've talked about this, you know if you and Gohan hadn't have blown up everything at home-" She choked; she had lived there with her kids and Goku during his living moments almost all of her life. "You two just need to be more careful when you're training." They were both on the verge of tears.

The eldest hybrid Saiyan's hand rested on her shoulder as the signal that he was there, then it drifted down to Goten's cheek. "Everything has been moved, I thanked Yamcha, Krillin, and Trunks then they all went home." The Flying Nimbus skidded to a halt behind the teen, "Come on guys. I knows it's hard to move past this but Hercule's gonna rebuild it!" Gohan tried to beam his features though he was ashamed of letting the spar get out of hand.

"But Gohan-" the younger Saiyan started with, "-it won't be _home._" Tears flowed from the small boy's tear ducts.

The sight made the small family cry together, "I know Goten. Come on hope on Nimbus, Karakura awaits."

***End Flashback***

Gohan slipped on his jacket, well vest. He talked to the administrator and she said that is was alright to wear his black vest from his Orange Star High School. He knew he would stand out regardless, the transfer student always was. "Hey Goten!" He called out once he was completely dressed, "You're gonna keep care of mom on my first day of school right?" He grinned at his half-awake brother as he rolled out of the top bunk landing on his cranium. He teared up from the impact but gave his brother a thumbs up. "Still having those dreams?" He asked the younger kneeling down to him.

Goten sat up straight and made an unsure expression, "Y-yeah."

Gohan rubbed the spot then gave his brother a playful rub. Ever since they moved Goten had been having nightmares, even listening to him talk about them frightened him and his mother. Goten never watched scary movies or listened to ghost stories, how did such images get into his head? But how long had it been since Majin Buu's defeat? A little over a month, Goku and Vegeta had been able to defeat him, but at the cost of their own lives.

Gohan hugged the eight year old quickly, "I'll be home after I used to. Maybe we can play a game!" Goten's ears perked up and he was suddenly hoping excitedly in place, "Can we? Can we really Gohan?!"

He nodded and went into the kitchen; their mother must still be asleep. She spent the past few days looking for a job while Goten and Gohan were at school. Well more like when Goten napped since he was home-schooled. He smiled when he saw that his lunch had been packed and set out for him on the blue marble counter. _Thanks mom, you're the best._

He hoped outside with his few school supplies under his arm. His Saiyaman watch was strapped on his wrist, he had seen a few criminal acts around the town, and he was going to have to change that.

The teenage boy lost in thought walked into someone as he rounded a corner. The large and similarly bulky Hispanic male was knocked off his feet, on instinct Gohan's palm reached out and grippe Chad's arm. "Sorry I wasn't paying attention." Gohan admitted only getting a blank stare from the taller dark-skinned giant.

Chad had never been knocked off his feet by someone like that before, _this guy's not normal,_ was his sole thought. He held Gohan's lightly tanned skin, he was small but Chad knew that his body would pack a punch like this. "Thanks… Are you a new transfer? My name's Yasotora Sado." Came his low yet proudly booming voice.

The raven haired Saiyan warrior smiled as he used no strength at all to bring the large Hispanic to his feet, "I'm Son Gohan, just call me Gohan." His face beamed with excitement of meeting someone new already, "Yeah I just moved here over the summer for this school year." Since he was a senior it would be his last year of high school.

"D'you know what class you're in yet?" Chad questioned as his chocolate locks gusted in the wind, Gohan nodded and said the room number. "So you'll be with Ichigo, Rukia and I."

"That's good I thought I was gonna be alone filled with people I won't know." They walked and talked going to the school. Both were talking about friends and family, though keeping the most secret things about themselves and others hidden from the other.

"Hey Chad did you make a new friend?" The teen that was the same height as Gohan with bright orange hair inquired as he approached. Gohan extended his hand in a friendly way, only getting a slight glance at the gesture from Ichigo, "I'm Gohan!" Slightly confused he held the palm to Ichigo for another few seconds before deciding to let it fall back to his side.

"Are you a transfer student?" Gohan nodded, Ichigo got the small notice from Chad that the newest addition to their class wasn't their regular transfer student. He was built bigger than Kenpachi and had the Head Captain's demanding air if his smile wasn't so warm and inviting.

"Kurosaki Ichigo," He said with his cool tone tilting his head to the side as if living up to his 'reputation' of being hardcore. His left hand rested in his pocket and his right flipped over his shoulder holding his lunch in a bag. "Better get to class before you're late. That's not something you wanna do on your first day Gohan."

Ichigo felt slightly intimidated by the hybrid, just something else he was gonna have to keep his eye on. Gohan did sense the slight discomfort coming from the orangette, though his power level was lower than theirs. But they were pretty strong, no really string the type of people Goku would take a liking to if he were there.

The sun was rising in the sky as a warning bell rang, "See you in class guys!" Gohan hurried to class trying not to let his power level spike in excitement for meeting new people and making new friends. A small dust cloud caught the eye of a thin upperclassman who adjusted his glasses as he followed him inside to the room, giving a turn to his two pals acknowledging that he too, noticed something strange.

Once everyone was inside Gohan was brought up to the front of the class to talk about himself and answer any questions that they might have. Rukia came in late while he was talking; she stared at him for a long moment. The woman had a gut feeling like everyone else in the room that he wasn't normal in the slightest; though his appearance matched an average everyday Joe he was as tall as Ichigo and built bigger than Chad. Gohan wasn't the one to throw out some differences but he could tell that most o these people were pretty powerful. Each one gave off a unique signal, showing an interesting power that resided in each of them.

The strongest had to be the orange-haired kid, but even he was about as strong as Goten at best. Then it was his turn to be asked the questions instead of talking about himself. The first one, Keigo, "Are you good with the ladies?" Gohan laughed awkwardly and rubbed the side of his neck, "I've only ever had two girlfriends. Both of them didn't last very long." There was a few 'aws' from the girls.

Then someone from the front of the room, Tatsuki, raised her hand, "That means you're single now right?" His blush thickened as he nodded, "Yeah." He tried not to hear the somewhat menacingly high-pitched giggle from several of the girls. He had a bad feeling that this wasn't king to end very well.

The teacher couldn't help let a small chuckle part from her lips. Then everyone was caught off guard when Rukia stood up and interrogated with a single question him, "You're not human are you Gohan?" The entire room burst into laughter no one was able to hear his response: "No I'm not."

The bell rang and everyone, save for the hybrid Saiyan and the hybrid shinigami and his gang, groaned, it was a Monday and they had P.E. first thing today. The Saiyan warrior wasn't too sure that this was a good idea, "Excuse me Ms. Ochi? What're we doing for class today?" Gohan asked not feeling very up for showcasing his power or strength in any way.

"I'm glad you asked Gohan! Today well be running track and sparring with a partner!" An evil glint was caught by all the student body, and everyone gulped she probably just wanted to watch them bang each other up. "Well if that's so I'll have to change the rules! I'll pick your groups and you'll fight it out to the victor!" Everyone groaned as she began to list off names and who they were partnered with.

The pairs were as follows: Chad with Keigo, Ichigo with Mizuiro, Rukia with Orihime, Chizuru with Tatsuki (Who was glad to be able to actually hit the girl), Gohan with Uryū, who no matter what anyone said he respectfully declined the challenge, until Gohan had said with confidence: "Afraid to lose to the new student?"

Uryū turned and pointed a long finger at the accusing Saiyan, "I just don't want to hurt you!" He declared, then quickly taking his mind away to fix his glasses. Everyone in the room was taken back a bit by his sudden outburst. Everyone else was then paired; they were all kept to same gender brawls.

Gohan let a very Vegeta-like smirk escape his lips, though it quickly faded when he heard someone giggle. Well it sounded like a giggle to him at least.

Gohan's head tore to the window when he heard a deafening roar, it sounded like a monster or dinosaur was outside. His eyes widened in adrenaline when he had heard it as well several classmates turned their head too, he made a mental note of whom because not everyone did. "I'm sorry Ms Ochi but I really have to go to the bathroom!" Wait who said that? Not just one, but _two_ people said it in synchronization, Ichigo and Gohan.

They gave each other a look, and then both busted out the door in opposite directions. Neither one cared where the other one was really going, Gohan to the roof and Ichigo to the front gate. Gohan sensed that no one was around for him to see, he pressed the button on his wristwatch for his outfit to change. The bodysuit was black, with a green vest-like cover, thick alabaster gloves and boots, a crimson cape, and his bright orange helmet with antennae. Upon reaching the roof he flew off straight to the creature's site.

Ichigo did something similar; he pressed his brown token to his chest, his combat pass. His soul body left his physical one, his zanpakuto, Zangetsu, in its Shikai state on his back. He jumped into the air with his black shihakksho flapping in the air behind him. "I was wondering when the hollows were going to show up again!" He would've smiled but this one was a little close too close to home.

There were two girls, an older carrying the younger in her arms as she ran for dear life. The hollow, a large elephant-looking creature with six thick appendages, followed close behind cackling menacingly with every destructive step. Ichigo arrived there first swinging his blade to hit the hollow's skin, not cut was made into the hierro, though an array of sparks danced after the blow.

When Gohan did arrive, he flew a bit slow to let people know he was on his way; he caught the scent of someone dead. He then saw his classmate, Ichigo, if he remembered correctly, attacking the hollow with something that reminded him of Trunks' sword. But this blade was different, it wasn't made of foreign material from another planet, it radiated a good deal of power and looked like an overgrown meat cleaver.

Ichigo didn't catch wind of Gohan's energy until he saw the hollow preparing for an attack. Its cero was incredibly fast, getting bigger than Ichigo in a matter of moments. "Getsuga-" A hand his hit collarbone rendering him unconscious, Gohan's covered hand gripped the back of his shirt to keep him from making contact with the ground.

Swinging faster than the hollow or anyone could process Gohan had punched the beast right in the center of its mask. It vanished, turning into dust and getting blown into the wind. Ichigo groaned so Gohan whacked him a second time, a large welt was forming on the teen's neck. Everyone looked at Saiyaman like he was crazed, punching nothing and acting like he held something in his arm, well who wouldn't? _Can't they see him?_

He flew back to class quickly, he couldn't find Ichigo's body so he just, kinda…

Gohan tossed Ichigo's unconscious soul in a closet.


	2. All out Brawls?

The hybrid teen nearly forgot to press the button on his watch before he exited the back of the school to rush to the outdoor locker rooms. Everyone was already sparring, some already knocked out, others completely or on the verge of collapsing.

Groans of pain came from the student getting carried to the nurses' office; some of these people didn't know how to hold back on the normal humans. The victors: Tatsuki, Chad, Uryū by default, Rukia, and Mizuiro also by default. However Gohan wasn't about to be bested by Uryū, even by default, he tapped their teacher on her shoulder.

"Is there still time for my fight?" He gave a nervous expression as everyone glanced at him; Ms Ochi shook her head, and until Gohan gave a preposition which she gladly accepted: "I'll fight everyone that's still standing!"

There were a few skeptic comments; Tatsuki was the first one to accept. Well she did before Ms Ochi even agreed to Gohan's cocky statement. Chad and Uryū seemed unfazed; they were more preoccupied with finding Ichigo's reiatsu. They sent Keigo out to find him since he was one of the people that had forfeit and had nothing else to do but wonder why all the girls were staring at the new exchange student. Even Tatsuki, she had eyes for the demi-Saiyan. 'I_'m gonna have to make friends with him soon to see what he's got that I don't!_' Keigo whined in his head as he departed to pursue the lead the Quincy had procured.

Gohan had changed into a white tank-top, just a spare undershirt he brought since his gym uniform had not been delivered yet. It should be there within the next day or so, so in the meantime Gohan wore the skin-tight tank-top and some sweatpants. Tatsuki did a quick stretch, her cheeks tinting pink as she checked him out. She mentally smacked herself, '_I'm not supposed to take interest in high school boys! But damn, he's so hot~ and so very single._'

"Don't hold back, I'd hate for you to be the next one going to the principal's office." Tatsuki smirked at his comment, she'd finished stretching and was taking a stance, and she kept her feet on her toes so she could move about faster.

"Aren't you gonna stretch Gohan?" She crept closer to him as he shook his head. "Your choice then!" She did a left jab to his cheek, Gohan avoided, he was taking his time to put on his gloves, and she'd need the cushion.

He raised his eyebrows in amusement, she seemed flustered after the first strike, and it was like she'd never been avoided before. She jabbed again, Gohan blocked with a flick of his wrist. The most challenging part of this was going to be holding back enough so he didn't hurt her, nor did he think that showing off was a good idea. There was a glint in her eye; she wasn't paying close attention to her footing Tatsuki was checking him out. Every one of his twists, flexes, and she felt her blush deepen as she began to make more serious blows.

Her onslaught switched to mix in kicks with the jabs and uppercuts, Gohan kept blocking and avoiding. He wanted her to think she was keeping him at bay, when he was just biding his time and trying to suppress his muscle strength so it would be down low enough for a fair-seeming match.

Her style was crisp, clean swipes and dashes, but she lacked the loose mobility that the Z-warrior had been spending a great majority of his life perfecting. Once he had capped his power level to an appropriate range he struck back. She was caught off guard of him moving so incredibly fast, it clipped her cheek and made her ears ring from the peaking adrenaline rush. She grinned widely and began attacking harder, Gohan met her fists midair against his own, and she was getting too into the fight to notice that Gohan had not budged more than a foot from his starting stance.

The other classmates stood in awe, their teacher was trying her best not to sarcastically baby one of the injured students, Ochi saw the fight lag on, it was a good thing they had nothing else planned for the day. She was eager to see how this new teen measured up to the others.

Tatsuki panted heavily, she was beginning to get sweaty and exhausted. Gohan wasn't either but he was breathing heavy on purpose so it would seem the same. One final clash, they charged each other, Tatsuki using her reflexes to try and get several blows in at his face. Everyone had failed; Gohan had dodged and given her a swift swiping to her legs, the world shifted for the female. She came in contact with the padded floor a fraction of a second later.

After acknowledging defeat she slipped a paper into his glove as he helped her back up, seven numbers with a hyphen between the last four and first three. Six letters beneath them: CALL ME.

He'd had two girlfriends before, both of them ended for different reasons. The blackmailing girlfriend, Gohan had now long forgotten her name but the second one Videl Satan. She wasn't quite the same after being devoured by Majin Buu, she snapped and blamed Gohan for not being able to protect her like he should've, she completely ignored him when he said he'd never let it happen again. But was he ready for another relationship so soon? All the girls in his class were attractive, and they all -he gulped- seemed to like keeping their eyes on him.

Next up was the top of the class Uryū, Gohan bowed as Tatsuki left and again once his next opponent stepped onto the mat. The slim, raven-haired, Quincy made a distasteful sound. He'd been monitoring Gohan's styles and was sure he could counter it with every strike, seeing how at Gohan's visible best he could barely conquer someone weaker than himself.

Again Gohan didn't bother himself to stretch, he'd need quite the competition to sweat, let alone try. Once the teacher gave the okay the fight began. Uryū let Gohan have the first strike, his mistake. It was the only one the Saiyan needed; he socked his slender opponent in the gut, literally lifting him in the air from the contact. Luckily Chad was there and caught the Quincy before he could get in contact with the ground.

Chad gave the new transfer student a glare, not angry just an examination. He set Uryū in the arms of another, bigger built student, and walked into the sparring square. This time Gohan gave a little neck roll, just to loosen up. Restricting his power this much was making his lower back tingle, which was very strange for obvious reasons.

The teacher made sure that Gohan was sure that he wished to continue, he took down two other students. Just as the match began Ichigo opened the door in time to catch Keigo in the face as he rounded a corner, "Whoops." Ichigo sighed and tried to ignore the bleach aroma around him as he peeled his buddy from the door.

"Ichigo," Keigo whined like the recent accident was on purpose. "Oh right! The transfer student challenged all our class to a fight!" That statement caught Ichigo's attention fast, well not that he was really interested he just seemed cocky and needing to be taught a lesson.

Needless to say after the teen shinigami re-entered his body he walked back to where their class was at without a second glance at Keigo, who had started giving crocodile tears for being ignored as usual. He followed his friend with his head hanging low and tears flowing out of pity, what would it take to get some acceptance from Ichigo? Keigo could leap off a fifty story building and Ichigo may-MAY turn his head just in time to see the impact.

Chad fell to the ground with heavy pants forcing his chest to heave. That hadn't just happened, the entire class stood in awe when Gohan's single strike forced the biggest class member off his feet and onto the rubbery floor.

Chad processed what had happened; he made a quick jab to Gohan's abdomen. But he didn't hit anything, it was like it phased through him. Then another Gohan came through this false image and pegged Chad right in his gut, sweeping him clean off his feet and into defeat.

Gohan's palm rested in front of Yasutora for him to reach, he took the friendly gesture and didn't even have to try and use Gohan as leverage to pick himself up. The Saiyan had used pure muscle power to pry him from his defeated state. _What are you Gohan?_

Due to some training and learning of his father's technique Gohan had taught himself some telepathic abilities, he had actually heard Sado's thought. He swallowed hard, fitting in was hard when you could literally destroy the planet if you got out of hand. He released his hold from the tall Mexican and bowed respectfully, "Thanks for your effort!" '_But there are just some things you can't ever accomplish that I can._' The stray thought was entirely true, but it saddened him for some reason.

It must've been his Saiyan blood which made the disappoint rear its head, he wanted a challenge, maybe he'd just go to Trunks' later and spar. Well maybe not, since the last time he fought him. Well Bulma wasn't happy to be exposed to the world like that... She just chose the 'wrong time' to take a shower was how Trunks put it, and Gohan said it was more of their fault for not warning her or waiting to begin.

Chad gave an appreciative nod then walked away, his hand clenching over his abdomen. Gohan saw the gesture and an apologetic bead of sweat formed on his forehead. He honestly thought they were stronger than most humans, maybe not as strong as he had thought. He turned and gave everyone a wide grin, making a 'v' for victory in his hand. Their faces all turned a deep cerulean; they all had no chance to defeat him.

Then came a triumphant screech of the gym door, everyone covered their ears in annoyance. Put to Orihime it made her remember something, she started going off about some special bean paste recipe to an exhausted Tatsuki who nodded slowly, Gohan overheard and it actually sounded pretty good. In walked an orange haired shinigami in his gym uniform, stretching his shoulders with a sulking Keigo following close behind him.

Rukia had stepped up to the mat determined to put the transfer student in his place, but Ichigo waved her down. While the teacher was giving concern to one Mr. Keigo Asano, Ichigo now stood within punching distance to the experienced Saiyan warrior, "I heard you're trying to show how much better you are than everyone." He'd now finished adjusting his white gloves and taken a low stance, "I'm afraid that you're not."

Gohan mentally scoffed, he was the strongest being alive right now, but dead... That was a different story. Gohan took no stance at all; his lower back kept tingling and was beginning to bother him. Suddenly the thought dawned on him, restricting his power to such an extent had spurted his tail's regrowth. That may or may not pose a problem within the next three to five minutes; his power would fluctuate as it did when he was a child with the furred appendage. Not to mention what occurred during a full moon.

He barely had enough time to swing back to reality to catch Ichigo's sucker punch in the center of his glove, _he didn't even bow. How rude._ A thought crossed his head and he decided to go with it, rather than punch Ichigo and have him remember the feel of who knocked him out Gohan exchanged blows with him for a while.

After a good seven or eight minutes they were both exhausted, Gohan was because containing his massive power was getting more and more difficult as the fight lagged on and Ichigo because he was only human. He couldn't do much in his current state. Usually the females of the class would be watching Ichigo, but they were all so transfixed on this professional-seeming boxer they had as a student.

One of the girls had wandering eyes, she said something about a certain large place on his body making him blush severely and nearly cover it. Ichigo saw the split second opening; he struck at Gohan's cheek right below his cheekbone and above his jawline.

Gohan had seen the strike while his fist was still in blocking distance, the Saiyan's super speed made him able to see all of this in slow motion. It was slow enough that Gohan could've broken Ichigo's wrist several times over. But he decided against it and let it hit him; the force wouldn't even bruise, let alone knock him off his feet. However for a bit of show the hybrid used his levitation to propel himself backward and onto his rear.

Ichigo tried not give a cocky grin from his victory, but his words would've stung himself if he knew Gohan was holding back all of his power, "Watch yourself, I'd hate to have to do that again."


	3. Player Gohan?

The warrior dressed quickly, not stopping to glance at the other males entering and leaving the locker room. He didn't hurt, he didn't even flinch when he saw the fist's intent to peg him in the jaw, and Gohan's skin was tougher than most things found on Earth. He stretched and yawned, there was a deep tingling sensation now in his tail bone, and it was certainly growing back. The furred appendage had certainly been a nuisance in the past, but now Gohan was in control of his power, from what he could tell at least.

There was a prickle of air on his neck, followed by the type of feeling you get when someone is watching you. He turned slowly, he'd taken off his shirt and was just in his deep emerald boxers, every small movement was perceivable, his skin tight from his incredibly bulky muscles. He turned and saw nothing, though the goose bumps stayed until after he had become fully clothed and departed of the smelly room.

What he did he now knew was an incredibly bad decision, everyone started mumbling about him as he passed, he could hear every word with his Saiyan hearing. That didn't mean he wanted to. There was no taking it back now, certainly not after defeating Chad with a sole jab. It seemed after the first fight with Tatsuki everyone had made a legend out of him, he was starting to notice a pattern. Whenever he transferred schools he became famous in some way, first it was the Gold Fighter and Saiyaman, and now some indestructible senior. Maybe he could just get Bulma to find someone that his family could afford as a tutor, and then he wouldn't have to worry about showing off. Even accidentally, like jumping twenty-five feet in the air to catch a baseball.

"No hard feelings right?" Gohan said to his fellow upperclassman Uryū Ishida. He thought his answer would be a shrug or something of that mannerism, but he got a full-on turn, a collision almost from the hastened motion. For whatever reason Gohan could smell fear, but it was only natural for someone to fear what they couldn't comprehend. This must not happen to the deeply pale and slender figure often.

_What is he?_ The last Quincy felt around, the spirit ribbon wasn't there. Not from what he could sense or visibly see at least. It was like Ichigo, when he was on the brink of losing his shinigami powers in the Rukongai. Uryū was unable to find Ichigo's ribbon, he deducted that Ichigo's power was on such a higher plane than his own that he wouldn't be able to find it. Was this transfer student from Mount Paozu on a higher plane? He focused all of his might to his extrasensory perception in his eyes, for a split second he saw what appeared to be Gohan's spirit ribbon. It shone brighter than the sun, the color was a pure gold, and Uryū had to squint to avoid getting blinded.

Gohan raised an eyebrow at the action, the windows were open but the sun was shining on the other side of the building. His words were stopped before they even left his lips, "No hard feelings, now get back to class. If you're such a good athlete then let's see how you do academically." The Quincy gave a grin similar to Ichigo's, cocky, a bit of overconfidence too.

Gohan went ahead and walked back to class, it was lunch time so not many people were in the room other than the teacher and help-seeking students. The Saiyan descendant sat at his desk, looked at his folder, and noticed that several numbers were scribbled across it with names underneath. Some had hearts encasing the name and number together so it wouldn't get mixed up, other's surrounded by stars, but the one that struck his attention the most was on the back, it was a huge purple-sharpied dinosaur with a crown on its head along with a bow. It however didn't have a name addressing it, though he had an idea of who it was. He sighed depressively, his first day and he already had a waiting list of who he was going to date.

He took his lunch outside; he didn't think anyone would be on the roof so he headed up. He heard chatter and grinned, though he really would've preferred to be alone and think about how to rectify his poor decisions.

"I hope you don't mind if I eat out here with you-" The door swung open by the force of an air current, he saw his three opponents, Ichigo, Sado, and Uryū, accompanied by Keigo and Mizuiro, the few girls had segregated themselves so they wouldn't bother the males with their idol gossip and talk about them or other guys at the school. The group on the outskirts of the roof are as follows; Rukia, Orihime, Tatsuki, a brunette from another class, and Chizuru. They all wore the required uniform, some a bit smaller than others but they were all uniquely beautiful. Gohan had taken a small liking to Tatsuki, mostly because her name and number were the largest, other than the one on the back of his folder, and because she seemed like a strong and independent woman.

He turned away blushing when she gave a grin and flirtatious wink, he wasn't really the type of guy that showed PDA to anyone he wasn't in a relationship with. So all she got in response was an acknowledging wave and obnoxious smile. He switched his attention back to the few men on the floor; Chad gave a small smile and patted the ground next to him, the spot furthest from the glaring orangette and closest to the girls, which Gohan chose to have his back to.

Ichigo gave Gohan the look that read, 'what the hell are you doing here,' which Gohan reluctantly shrugged off with a small frown turning his cheeks. "So new kid, where're you from?"

Ichigo asked trying to disrupt the awkward tension and equally disturbing silence, "I'm from Mt Paozu, East District 139. But now I live just on the outskirts of town past the skyscraper hospital." Gohan knew who owned it, the Quincy, sitting next to Ichigo giving tips to Keigo about some test coming up in a few weeks', father.

Keigo gave Gohan a turned upward thumb and leaned over Chad to Gohan, "So you said you're single? Can I be your wingman?! Or depending on the situation you be mine?!" Keigo was so full of hope he didn't expect Gohan to modestly shake his head and retort with: "Sorry but hitting on women isn't one of my top priorities right now."

After Chad positioned the near lifeless Keigo back into his spot to his right he figured it was his turn to ask a question, "so what rank were you in your prior school?" He wasn't asking so much for himself but more for Uryū to his farther right.

Gohan shrugged, "Well I was top of my class since I transferred there about a year ago. Then I missed a lot of school and still came back on top!" He neglected to mention that he wasn't just the top of his class, but of every single one in the entire district. Courtesy of his mother's technique of making him learn since he could walk, though he didn't want to become an orthopedist so much anymore.

Ishida didn't ask anything, he simply peeled his orange and adjusted his glasses to avert the sun's light from reaching his baby blue hues. Gohan began eating his homemade riceball since the small onslaught of inquires had ceased.

Everyone ate in an awkward silence, giving each other glances and some threatening stares, that was until someone in the girl's group said something about Ichigo being an idiot and that Gohan could've easily defeated him like he had Chad. A vein pulsed on the teen's forehead when the few phrases passed by his bubble, his eye twitched in frustration as his pride was deeply scarred.

Soon after the incredibly awkward lunch was over, Ichigo fuming more and more with every passing second, they headed back inside. Tatsuki and Orihime were last, Tatsuki giving the Saiyan a wink as he held the door open for her. Orihime gave him a friendly smile; half hoping he would notice a small purple dinosaur on her bracelet as she waved in another friendly gesture.

Once inside he sat down in the front seat again, it appeared as though several more numbers were added to the front and someone gave the dino a mustache and a heart with an arrow through it, their number and name written inside. Overall he counted and had received fifteen numbers; there weren't even that many women in their class. Well it really was a shame, he didn't know anyone besides Tatsuki and it appeared as though through intimidation of being Tatsuki Arisawa her number was left a fairly large space around it, they knew she would flip if anyone covered hers. Also he didn't even have a mobile, he didn't want to either, his number would somehow get out to the public and he'd have dozens of women to turn down, as well as avoid if there were any stalker types.

There was another number without a name, much smaller and in the corner with a bunny head drawn around it. Something was odd about the way it was written, the handwriting was rather course, and the number was scribbled out and rewritten like the person wasn't entirely sure what their own phone number was. He wasn't entirely sure if he should give any of these young women a shot, or if he should simply scrap that folder and get another one from his abundance of mom-bought school supplies.

Well he also needed to find a job; his mother was going to too so they could move back to Mt Paozu near the end of the year. They didn't tell Goten, they wanted it to be a surprise, just in time for his birthday.

He felt everyone's eyes on the back of his head, he couldn't bring himself to turn around and specifically who, it was as if he was training in weighted gravity and the only thing he could do was sit there and have it wear him down.

The bell rang; the tension was thick enough they had to open the windows to let some cooler air inside the classroom. Gohan hurried out of the class, not wanting to get caught by anyone as he escaped.

His plan was flawed as he got trampled by everyone else wanting to do the exact same thing. Rukia was the last to leave; she saw the teen laying on the ground hoping to be passed by and gave him a sharp kick.

"Oi, baka are you alive?" She said trying to hide her curiosity when there was something brown under his shirt, she could've swore she saw it move and that made her freak out slightly. But she was a proud Kuchiki, fear wasn't part of her repertoire for the most part. She was however a curious little shinigami.

Gohan pulled himself up, dusting off his pants and trying to get the shoe mark off of his sleeve. "I'll be fine, just a little banged up." His folders and few papers were scattered about the floor and he was not enthusiastic about that.

The Kuchiki noble normally would've been the second one out the door, but she felt a bit sluggish, wanting to take her own time. She didn't think she'd obligate herself with aiding a fellow student. Gohan didn't toss most of his papers from his previous school considering he left in the middle of a semester; Rukia peered at the graded papers. Every one of them had large 100%s or higher circled somewhere on the top. She hadn't expected that from someone in public school, "Are you a tutored human?" She let the common term slip, since she wasn't exactly one she referred to them as such.

Gohan was deeply curious as to why she had several scents, two of which were oddly alluring, another which smelled like plaster or some sort of polycarbonate. He was in a small rush he wasn't exactly paying attention to her words, "No on both accounts." He wasn't attentive to what he said, until she gave an eyebrow raise.

"Well thanks for the help! I owe you one Rukia!" He stuffed what he could back into his binders and folders, the rest going into his arms. He'd organize them all later. Rukia watched him flee, he nearly ran into a small fanclub recently organized for stalking him, but soon changed his course running from to the roof. Rukia snickered seeing as how some girls from their class were in it chasing after him.

She followed after him as he was somehow able to avoid everyone in the hallways, like a leave blowing in the wind. He had a slew of talents; he was as much brain as he was brawn. As if he was Ichigo and Uryū combined in all the right ways. "Did he just go to the roof?" She questioned herself when the metallic door slammed, shuddering a few windows.

Without hesitation she followed after him, giving small waves and nods to people that knew her and not the other way around. When she finally got to her destination she poked her head out the door, her eyes with high expectancy to cure her curiosity. "Huh?" She walked out and trotted about the open space, "Gohan?"

By now the teen was halfway home, concealing his energy, and flying in his Saiyaman outfit so no one would recognize him not that too many people would. However the citizens down below were frightened as to why the hero would be patrolling their city. If he didn't find the crime it usually followed him, so either way it wasn't a good omen.


	4. Homeward Bound

Once home Gohan saw his little brother sleeping on the ground outside, there house, one the outskirts of town, away from prying eyes and so they could keep their secrets. Goten was always comfortable in nature, never having nearly as much to worry about as his elder brother. Gohan took off his jacket and laid it over the sleeping seven year old, he walked inside to see his mother -finished with the unpacking- and now rewarding herself with a nap as well. All that was missing was his father, training in Other World no doubt, probably giving Cell a beating, or even that long awaited brawl between himself and the lone Prince.

He wrote his mother a note in his generic hand, and then proceeded to do as the note prescribed and left to seek out a job. Being a superhero had rewards but he doubted they'd pay for the things they needed for another house.

Chi-Chi had thought about asking help from Bulma, but with the community dropping as well as stocks many people had to be frugal, and Bulma rarely had much time for her own son. Trunks' heart was hardened after the passing of his father, he'd cried longer than Goten despite him being older and slightly more mature. As Gohan had when he was growing up he had a familiar being help him through with his training: Piccolo.

Trunks spent most of his time there on the Lookout training with Korin, speaking with Dende or Popo, and even getting stronger with the elder Namek's aid of spars. Trunks had a knack for fighting, he just didn't like to do it, and since he was in the top five of strongest warriors on Earth he saw no real reason for doing it other than fun.

Gohan had some cash given to him by Krillin, since he and Eighteen had gotten quite a large, forced, bribe by Hercule since Eighteen won the tournament in a manner of speaking. It was the best he could think of doing, even though they refused to be indebted by having their house rebuilt by the couple even as a gift, or as friends of Goku. They were quite the stubborn family the Sons, they'd much rather earn it their own way than anyone else's.

So the teen walked back into town without the cover of his costume, and went to the nearest electronics shop. He was nearly convinced to buy just about every version and brand of phone, though he just needed one, so he wouldn't feel guilty for completely ignoring all of these girls. He'd give some of them a shot, the ones that he could properly read their names and numbers though, and the two that didn't have names piqued his curiosity. It was a recent model, not the newest to say the least, slightly used and returned earlier that day because the Bluetooth didn't work, it was a gift so that's why it took so long to get it back.

It was very nice in Gohan's onyx eyes; it had a large and cooperative touch screen along with a keyboard if he didn't want to mess up the calibration. It had several gadgets as a bonus, a wi-fi amplifier, again since it was a gift they went all out in it for whoever it was intended to go to, and since it didn't function with the newest model Gohan got them for free! He walked around the center of town, plugging in the numbers at slow speeds, sure he was pretty fast but he was most familiar with Capsule Corp machinery.

After that he decided against giving even one of the nineteen numbers a call or text, his number was easy to remember and he had it memorized within the first steps out of the store. Now he traversed the town of Karakura for a place to work, that phone took a small portion of his funds away. It barely scraped the surface of what his mother and he had gotten together; with the new house that they were building they planned on getting much sturdier material, Bulma had gotten them a new type of metallic compound that Trunks had issues with damaging in his Super Saiyan form. She was his tester and breaker, just to challenge her invention's durability against the most powerful forces on the planet.

This metal did not come cheap, yes Bulma was able to get it knocked down significantly because of her standing but that didn't stop the price range being far out of reach for the equally widowed family.

Despite the world being in its depressive state he kept his head held high, mostly because the signs were high up and difficult to see when looking straight ahead.

One place spoke quaint and well-spoken, 'Unagiya's Shop,' he walked to it when he noticed saw the 'HELP APPRECIATED' sign on the front. He slipped his phone into his back pocket and looked around, "Hello? I'm looking for work and I guess you sorta need it right?" There was a muffled yelp in one of the backrooms, it sounded familiar to an extent that muffled yelps did.

"Hello there!" Came the response from a busty raven-haired woman coming out from the dark with a scowling smile. She quickly did Gohan's first test, outward appearance. "How old are you?" Her expression turned quite serious from its relative happy air seconds ago.

"I just turned eighteen in the spring!" He said like it was something to be proud of, which in a sense it was. He shifted as she appeared to be jotting things down on a piece of paper. He was bombarded with inquiries from the woman after that, height, weight, shoe size, even how much he could bench. Which he answered in a typical man's strength level, since planets or meteors would make him put forth the most effort out of anything.

Once all the dozens of questions were recorded, she brought the utensil to her mouth and chewed on the end, taking each detail down. "One final question, what does this look like to you?" She flipped the pad over for him to see, he was deeply surprised when he saw a likeness of Cell, the biological android, crudely drawn, in his second form. And he expected some actual info, when she just used the few minutes to sketch out the final question.

"I don't know some type of alien or monster." He responded with, not giving her the true answer he held in his head.

"Oi Ichigo! Get your lazy ass out here!" The muffled grunt of the orangette rang out in anguish, "oh that's right you're still tied up aren't 'cha?" She gave a small cackle having to kidnap the boy right after school for the third time this week to get him to actually work.

There was an audible snap when she departed to the worker's only section of the shop; she appeared to live here as well. Since there were some more private things strewn about, like family photos, unless they were customers, and some toys that children would play with.

Gohan wasn't exactly excited to see his fellow student again, especially since they'd gotten off to a horrible, horrible start. But regardless he kept the Golden Rule in mind, so he'd give the teen as equal amount of respect as anyone else. "Hey Ichigo, long time no see." The Saiyan hybrid smiled enough so his eyes squinted.

Ichigo's reaction was skeptical, not wanting to have to deal with this today. Especially since it was only Thursday, no he had his days wrong again as usual, it was indeed Friday. It was a horrible way to begin the weekend. He wanted to go home and pretend there weren't unknown threats lurking about every corner. "Can I help you?" Ichigo replied running a calloused palm through his unorganized orange locks.

His answer was a smack to the back of his head by Ikumi, "Baka that's your new assistant. I want you to show him the ropes and make him feel welcome!" It was worded like a demand and sounded like it too.

Ichigo cringed with his left eye twitching in irritation, as if he was going to do that. He didn't want anything to do with the overly cocky transfer student. However Gohan was glad to know he'd gotten a job, "Oh that's great! What are my hours Mrs.?"

She shook her head, "It's Ms. Unagiya, or you can call me-"

"-the world's worst boss." Ichigo interjected with a sigh, another sharp rap was given to the boy who was thrown into the nearby chair with a groan.

"_Unagiya-san_." She glared at him with a menacing red aura surrounding her, "Change of plan staff! She announced to the teen boys and herself, Gohan is now above Ichigo in rank! Ichigo will help _him_ instead of the other way around."

Gohan just stared at them giving them small nods as they yelled at the other, the best part of the fight was when Ichigo accidently called her old. She used Double Slap; needless to say it was more than Super Effective. Well it appeared that Gohan had gotten a job, and it was still early in the day with an occasional customer popping in and out so Ikumi got to show him the ropes and keep Ichigo in line, she was just mad he hadn't shown up during the late night rush the past week. Well, work at all. But being in the kitchen washing the dishes while Ikumi cooked and assisted in taking orders wasn't all bad.

He was first set to wait tables and clean them after people left, he mentioned that his mom was a cook and had many recipes and Unagiya was more than interested in getting a few new additions to pull in more customers. However during his little breaks he sent a mass text out, he had no idea why and regretted it within the first twenty messages back, to the new numbers in his phone.

All it said was; 'This is Gohan Son; message me if you need help on homework or anything.' Though half the messages were complaints about boys, subconsciously saying how much better he was based on appearances and how they wanted to know about him. Winking faces, ones with smiles, even strange ones he'd never seen before were in just about all of them. How much free time did these girls have? His phone gave light vibrations every six or seven minutes, he didn't like being so popular with women, it meant guys were probably going to be coming to him for advice. Despite his zero experience.

Time flew by without Gohan noticing, he checked his messages at the closing hour. The number was just above thirty, he went through them as he went home, the two from unnamed sources both didn't reveal their identity when he sent requests for them asking for their respective surnames. Most of them asked if he was doing anything this weekend and if he was free to hang out, eat some dinner, and even some type of alone time. Those stating alone time all had winking faces; he said he would have to check his schedule to those since he had no idea of what to really expect from city teenage girls.

"Hey Ichigo? Do you have a girlfriend?" One dark haired hybrid asked to another one of greatly lighter hair tone.

"Wha? No! I don't have time for that gooey stuff; I have better things to worry about." He retorted with and kept walking, 'man this guy's annoying, cocky, even Renji isn't this bad.' To Ichigo this was going to be a long, long year to work at Unagiya's. Gohan however was upset because of it, he needed relationship help, and he didn't even have a girlfriend, of really wanted one for that matter. When Ichigo hurried around a corner Gohan frowned, he never meant to offend, he was the type that when he needed help asked for it. Or got it anyway, his father was a great man, setting the standard for his sons, sacrificing himself for their protection, even when they needed him, he'd talk to them- through their memories or King Kai.

Gohan went through his seemingly endless text messages, it wasn't a happy picnic. So he decided to just shut off his phone, he was tired, it was late, and it was most importantly; dinner time. Once the door creaked open and slapped shut he was encased in small- yet strong- arms. "Gohan where were you! I found a snake in the back yard! And when he bit me mommy freaked out!"

Chi-Chi was setting the table with piles of meat and other delicacies, "So how was your first day today Gohan?"

"It was pretty good, I got a job too!" He proceeded to elaborate on the topic, leaving out details such as buying a phone and getting lots of seemingly interested girls in him already.

Chi-Chi couldn't help but be amazed at how successful he was being on his first day, he was beating around the bush about something, she just couldn't tell what he was neglecting to mention. "You know Gohan Videl called, she just wanted to see on how we were adjusting to life here."

He fidgeted where he sat, he didn't need to know that, he still had feelings for her, they broke up about half a year ago but he couldn't forget the time they shared with the other. A hefty sigh escaped the youthful boy's lips, then he heard Goten say something about finding an animal on their porch as he hopped up on his elder brother's lap. There was also mention that Goten found a dragon ball in their neighbor's yard, which he had hidden away so no one could find it.

After a small while of letting Goten have the floor Chi-Chi heard something ring from the kitchen, their dinner was ready. With the Saiyan stomach and being starved since lunch Gohan at his full, which was about half of what his mother had prepared, the rest was devoured by Goten, and Chi-Chi ate a normal portion for a human being.

After Goten's head nearly hit the table they all took that and the chirping of the crickets outside as time to retire to their beds. Gohan carrying his brother to his own room, Chi-Chi finishing put with the dishes with the aid of her eldest son once his task had been finished.

"Gohan, do you ever talk to your father?" She inquired setting the last of the rinsed dishes out for her son to dry and put away via levitation.

"No, I haven't, I don't think he should though, the dead shouldn't be contacting the living." His answer was a bit cold, but it was the horrible reality, Goku wasn't allowed to interfere with them unless there was an immediate emergency and they needed the warning.

"Yes I suppose so." Her shoulders slouched and she took off her apron and set it aside, "time for you to go to bed sweetie, have a good dream Gohan."

Gohan gave her a caring hug, lingering there for a moment as she held him back, after the loving hug had run its course he went to his room, changed into something more comfortable, and laid himself to rest.


	5. Goten's Nightmare

'_Run, run you filthy beast or I will devour your soul!_'

There was nowhere to run to though, even the sky held no escape for the frightened child. He'd been fighting something he could not see, it was fast and its voice was crazy enough to give Goten a look of pure terror in his eyes and posture.

How could he fight something he couldn't see? There was no way to defend himself when he took to the sky, when he collided to the ground, and even when people clad in black kimonos came to try and help. They didn't hold a flame to the unseen force. They were all knocked out, but the most scaring sight for the little boy was the figure in black, green, and red.

The barrages stopped for a moment and everything was quiet as Goten approached the figure lying face down in the dirt. He managed to turn the figure over, his face already wet with his tears, the face was all too familiar, and the first one he ever remembered seeing, before even that of his mother.

He screamed a name, inaudible from the harsh wind blowing around, words soon followed as the boy cried and cried on his hands and knees, continuing to scream:

'Please Gohan, you can't be dead.'

* * *

A/N~ Sorry for not updating sooner, school and roleplaying is taking up most of my time. I'll try to get more into the habit of writing for this work, thanks for all the positive comments and critiques! Sorry for this short chapter, it was meant to be short and to the point. I may do a little time jumping but bear with me.


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